This invention relates generally to a pallet divider which is placed between layers of a product stacked on a pallet, and more particularly to a divider which is stackable with other similar dividers or with pallets with which they are used.
Pallets are used for stacking of a variety of products to allow simplified movement of a bulk amount of such products by means of a forklift or like-lift truck, as well as effective transportation and shipment of products on the pallets. In many cases, a plurality of layers of the product are provided on a single pallet, with a divider used to separate the layers of products thereon. Conventionally, some type of divider is placed between layers of products, with such dividers typically being some type of wood divider or plastic sheet. Such dividers are simply placed on the top of a layer of product, and thereafter another layer of products may be placed on top of the divider. After a plurality of layers of product have been stacked in this fashion on a bottom pallet, the entire stacked assembly is generally banded to avoid shifting of the individual layers. Thereafter, the stacked layers of products on the pallet may be handled by a lift truck and shipped in a desired manner. Although such dividers do function to separate layers of product stacked on a pallet, known dividers made of wood have several significant drawbacks. For example, in the packaging and shipping environment, the handling of pallets and dividers exposes each of these components to significant wear and tear, requiring constant repairs, particularly to wood dividers which simply cannot withstand excessive use in handling. Further, dividers formed of wood sheets can be dangerous to the workers loading and stacking products on the pallets, due to splinters in handling of the dividers themselves, as well as exposure to nails or other fasteners used in association with the dividers.
Another significant problem encountered with known dividers is found in that such dividers are not designed to compliment the pallets with which they are used, nor to facilitate containing layers of stacked products on the pallet. Simple plywood type dividers which are presently used provide little, if any, stability to the stacked load during shipping and handling. It should also be recognized that the use of a plastic sheet or other flexible type material as a divider would not provide any stability to the load, and is more easily torn and damaged than even a wood divider. Further, upon unloading of a pallet at the shipping destination, the plywood or plastic sheet dividers which have been used are considered disposable, and are therefore not reused, but simply replaced. This in turn creates a problem of waste disposal for the shipper, with the materials generally used for such dividers not being readily recyclable, such that the shipper would in fact incur costs in disposing of such dividers. Although the shipper may attempt to avoid the problem of disposal by attempting to reuse such dividers, handling of the dividers subsequent to unloading of a pallet is problematic in that the dividers are not compatible with one another or with the pallet with which they are shipped. The incompatibility of the dividers and pallet make handling subsequent to unloading of the pallet problematic, in that the dividers are not easily stacked for reshipment and reuse by the shipper.
Also with pallets loaded with a plurality of layers of product using dividers between the layers requires banding of the assembly once the plurality of layers are stacked on the pallet to allow subsequent handling of the assembly. Such banding is generally performed by wrapping metal bands about the periphery of the pallet and dividers in order to secure the assembly together. The metal bands used in the process are therefore exposed at the outer edge of the stacked pallet, and are prone to displacement from their securing position, or potentially to be caught by the fork of a fork truck or the like which could cause breaking of the banding and disruption of the stacked load.
Based upon the foregoing, it is a main object of the invention to provide a divider for use with a pallet to stack a plurality of layers of product on the pallet, with the dividers being compatible with the pallet and one another to allow nesting and stacking of the dividers with one another and also with a pallet with which they are used.
The invention is therefore directed to a divider for use in a stacking system for shipping of a product in multiple layers on a pallet comprising a bottom wall having an upper supporting surface on which a product or products is supported. The bottom wall has about at least a portion of its periphery an upwardly extending retaining wall to prevent movement of the products off of the upper supporting surface. The bottom wall further has a lower surface with a downwardly extending foot portion provided at least intermittently adjacent the periphery of the lower surface at a position inboard of the edge of the lower surface. The downwardly extending foot portion allows the divider to be nested within another like divider when stacked together. In the preferred form, the divider is molded of a high density polymeric material, forming a strong, rigid, and durable divider which may be reused with its design allowing easy reshipping of multiple dividers for such reuse. The divider in the preferred embodiment further includes a plurality of openings specifically adapted to allow simplified and more effective banding arrangements for securing multiple layers of products on a pallet using a number of dividers.